Portraits never ceased to amaze me; they are a mental trip. A connection emerges in a unique moment of intimacy shared between the characters. The time rendered pays for it, and the customer satisfaction that it provides satisfies me. A portrait commissioned by a good friend of mine took longer than expected. Initially, it would take no more than a week, but it can take anywhere from a month to even years.
Leonardo’s Mona Lisa took five years to complete. Another artist, as Vermeer did, according to art historians, took months. Nobody knows, only the family.
“Soonah saw the painting, and she cried with emotion,” he replied. Moreover, Miles’ parents were astonished by the painting’s likeness. Layers of peach and yellow, pale and napless, fuse their faces in tones that reflect a porcelain likeness. Straightforward colors from their clothes were rendered with a one-point brush to create patterns methodically, one next to the other, to recreate the look of wet fabric. A simple turquoise background suggests I use a camera in a studio.
One of our advantages for artists is to work in peace. Soonah could not hold her grandson for long in her arms. Although it has the pose of a camera studio, I manage to turn it into a painting. That is my mark that separates us from the giants around us. Our modern times have allowed us to paint as we wish using better enhancements with a quality canvas and a quality pigment the concept of equality remains in the elements of portrait, such as chiaroscuro, solid forms, hues, and luminosity. In short, the intellect of writers like Borges reveals that there is light in the dark and dark in the light, twisted words to translate in our consciousness to add light to our feelings.
SOONAH & MILES
“Soonah & Miles,” Oil on Canvas, size 18” x 24” 2021